Heritage Purebreed Red Wattles or HPRW exists to protect and promote Red Wattle hogs, a threatened heritage breed of swine that only exists in North America. Our goal is to form a registry and alliance of hogs and breeders that strive to keep Red Wattles as a natural and nature created heritage hog and to increase their population thru promotion and education to our membership and the public at large.
The history of Red Wattles is vague but there are newspaper articles as far back as the mid 1800’s that
mention and describe them, very much like we find them today. They were known then as a particular
breed set apart from others so that tells us they developed perhaps many years prior to the mid 1800’s
into what was then and now known as Red Wattle.
They’re not found anywhere in the world except North America. It’s currently believed that wattled
hogs were possibly brought to this country through the gulf states and they bred with hogs already here
maybe a few centuries ago. Early explorers typically brought livestock with them for food supplies
during the voyage and for settlements in the New World. Sometimes a few would escape into the wilds
and breed, quite possibly creating what is now Red Wattle. It’s a possibility that’s why their population
was more dense in the southern states, but they migrated as well and could be found across the
country.
